Openly Episcopal shares an account of a deanery meeting conducted by Bishop William Love in the Diocese of Albany.
For those of you who will attend a later deanery meeting, and for those who are interested in the bishop's thoughts, I took extensive notes, which I am happy to share with you here. If you were there, feel free to add your own corrections or observations.
The deanery meeting can't have been a pleasant experience for those, like Openly Episcopal, who wish to remain part of the Episcopal Church.
"The whole Convention got of on a bad foot," [Bishop Love] said, because at the first gathering the Presiding Bishop "got right into it and omitted the opening prayer." Then the PB went on to say that the great Western heresy is the idea that we can be saved individually, apart from the Church. "The specific verbal form of words" that she used "was an issue that caused great problems." He said that the statement "flew in the face of Holy Scripture, Romans 10:9," which "would seem to contradict what the Presiding Bishop said in her statement."
After several parishioners spoke of their desire to remain in the Episcopal Church:
...Bishop Love interjected, seemingly at random, that "to the best of my knowledge, there is no scientific evidence to prove a particular genetic makeup to explain homosexual orientation."
I'm shaking my head. Read the entire post by OE. Read Bishop Love's comments on Satan at work in the church today. Read his words on the Archbishop of Canterbury's encouragement to dioceses to sign on to the Anglican Covenant independently of the national church.
Thank you Openly Episcopal for your report on the Diocese of Albany deanery meeting.
Pray for Bishop Love and the priests and laity of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany.
UPDATE: Here's the link to the Albany Via Media website, a group of:
Episcopalians striving for a middle way of diversity and tolerance in the Diocese of Albany, NY
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Good-bye Sweet Babs
May flights of doggie angels woof thee to thy rest.
Babs moved on. She had eaten nothing today, so now was the time. May she have a grand welcome by friends in the land where the grass is always green and there's always room to run and play and a comfortable spot for a good nap. And maybe even a beach. Her joints will be sound again and fit for running.
My son dug her grave earlier. Her body will rest in their back yard under the grape vine.
My brother-in-law sent me the old picture below of our dog, Ginger, who lived with us when we were children and teenagers. We sometimes dressed her in baby clothes, and she didn't mind. Babs will meet up with Ginger and won't they have a grand time sharing stories! Ginger was a good dog, too. When I was feeling really sad, I'd go sit on the back steps and pet Ginger and we'd love each other until I'd feel better.
"The Dog" by Ogden Nash
The truth I do not stretch or shove
When I state that the dog is full of love.
I've also found, by actual test,
A wet dog is the lovingest.
Babs
Picture at the head of the post courtesy MadPriest. Thank you, MP, for the sweet tribute to Sweet Babs .
Inner Peace
Diana, our one-eyed family dog
If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get going without pep pills,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
...Then You Are Probably The Family Dog!
Posted in January from Doug, with a recent reminder from Susan S. I thought this was an appropriate time for a repeat.
" THE INDWELLING PRESENCE" - Richard Rohr
The word “prayer” has often been trivialized by making it into a way of getting what you want. But here I use “prayer” as the umbrella word for any interior journeys or practices that allow you to experience faith, hope, and love within yourself. It is not a technique for getting things, a pious exercise that somehow makes God happy, or a requirement for entry into heaven. It is much more like practicing heaven now.
From The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (p.22-23)
Daily Meditations
From The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (p.22-23)
Daily Meditations
(Sick?) British Humor
The train was quite crowded, and a U. S. Marine walked the entire length looking for a seat, but the only seat left was taken by a well dressed, middle-aged, French woman's poodle.
The war-weary Marine asked, 'Ma'am, may I have that seat?'
The French woman just sniffed and said to no one in particular 'Americans are so rude. My little Fifi is using that seat.'
The Marine walked the entire train again, but the only seat left was under that dog.
'Please, ma'am. May I sit down? I'm very tired.'
She snorted, 'Not only are you Americans rude, you are also arrogant!'
This time the Marine didn't say a word; he just picked up the little dog, tossed it out the train window, and sat down.
The woman shrieked, 'Someone must defend my honour! this American should
be put in his place!'
An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up, 'I say, old boy, you Americans seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your cars on the wrong side of the road. And now, sir, you seem to have thrown the wrong bitch out the window.'
Don't blame me. Blame Erika.
The war-weary Marine asked, 'Ma'am, may I have that seat?'
The French woman just sniffed and said to no one in particular 'Americans are so rude. My little Fifi is using that seat.'
The Marine walked the entire train again, but the only seat left was under that dog.
'Please, ma'am. May I sit down? I'm very tired.'
She snorted, 'Not only are you Americans rude, you are also arrogant!'
This time the Marine didn't say a word; he just picked up the little dog, tossed it out the train window, and sat down.
The woman shrieked, 'Someone must defend my honour! this American should
be put in his place!'
An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up, 'I say, old boy, you Americans seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your cars on the wrong side of the road. And now, sir, you seem to have thrown the wrong bitch out the window.'
Don't blame me. Blame Erika.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
We Say Good-Bye To Babs
Note: I first posted a picture of Junior, instead of Babs. I'm sorry. Babs is below. The mother and son have similar markings.
Back in April of this year, when we had our Good Friday crawfish boil, I said this:
Pictured below are the three Bassets that belong to my son and his family. In the foreground is Trigger, the father of the family. On the right is sweet Babs, the mother, who was supposed to have died of untreatable cancer some time ago, but is still here. She seems comfortable, is apparently not in pain, and is not off her food. In the rear is the dumb son of Babs and Trigger, Junior, one of the stupidest dogs ever. If you knock on that huge head of his, it rings hollow, proof of a very small brain.
The time has come for poor Babs. She lived far longer than anyone's expectations. She can no longer move around. Malignant tumors have spread throughout her body. Tomorrow is the day when my son's family will bid Babs, "Good-bye," to her time with them. She is a good dog and was an excellent mother to her large litter, although she was young at the time. Pray for heartsease for my son, his wife, and my grandson. Pray for Junior, who cries whenever his mother is out of his sight. I am not kidding. That great hulk of a dog is beside himself whenever his mother is at the vets or somewhere else than with him. It will be a sad day when sweet Babs will no longer be around.
My hope is that she will meet up with Rusty, the wonder dog, Ginger, from my childhood, and our many cats who have passed on to that better place where they can "Woof, woof!" and "Meow, meow!" and laugh about the crazy families that they left behind, knowing that one day we will all be together again.
Back in April of this year, when we had our Good Friday crawfish boil, I said this:
Pictured below are the three Bassets that belong to my son and his family. In the foreground is Trigger, the father of the family. On the right is sweet Babs, the mother, who was supposed to have died of untreatable cancer some time ago, but is still here. She seems comfortable, is apparently not in pain, and is not off her food. In the rear is the dumb son of Babs and Trigger, Junior, one of the stupidest dogs ever. If you knock on that huge head of his, it rings hollow, proof of a very small brain.
The time has come for poor Babs. She lived far longer than anyone's expectations. She can no longer move around. Malignant tumors have spread throughout her body. Tomorrow is the day when my son's family will bid Babs, "Good-bye," to her time with them. She is a good dog and was an excellent mother to her large litter, although she was young at the time. Pray for heartsease for my son, his wife, and my grandson. Pray for Junior, who cries whenever his mother is out of his sight. I am not kidding. That great hulk of a dog is beside himself whenever his mother is at the vets or somewhere else than with him. It will be a sad day when sweet Babs will no longer be around.
My hope is that she will meet up with Rusty, the wonder dog, Ginger, from my childhood, and our many cats who have passed on to that better place where they can "Woof, woof!" and "Meow, meow!" and laugh about the crazy families that they left behind, knowing that one day we will all be together again.
Statuary In St. Joseph Co-Cathedral
Ste. Jeanne d'Arc
I wonder if Ste. Jeanne wore a skirt over/under her armor.
St. Louis, Roi de France
You can't tell by clicking on the larger view, because it's blurry, but St. Louis is pretty well rouged up. The first time I saw his statue up close many years ago, I thought he was a queen. (LOL! Sorry.)
The Virgin Mary and the child Jesus
I like this statue, but for the large crowns, the size of which is decidedly de trop. (That means "too much".)
St. Anthony and the child Jesus
Not contemporaries, but no matter. It is all mystery and art.
The statues of Ste. Jeanne and St. Louis face the nave in the front of the church. The Virgin and St. Anthony are in the narthex.
I meant to make this a serious post, but that's not the way it turned out. What happened?
St. Joseph Co-Cathedral - Thibodaux, LA
The recent funeral of a friend's father was held in Roman Catholic St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, a Romanesque-style church, which was constructed in 1923. Since St. Joseph is a place of note in tourist information, I decided to take pictures after the service and post a few of them. It's a grand church which was renovated just a few years ago. The parish is quite old, dating from 1817, when it began as a mission church, and the present building is the third church structure.
When the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux was split off from the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1977, St. Francis de Sales Church in Houma, Louisiana, was chosen as the cathedral church. The word-of-mouth back story is that the pastor and certain parishioners of St. Joseph were upset that their church was not chosen as the cathedral, because it was the oldest parish in the new diocese. The powers then decided to make St. Joseph a co-cathedral to appease the folks at the church.
Pictured above is one of two large stained glass windows at either end of the transept of the church. The stained glass in the church is beautiful. In a quick search, I couldn't find information about the history of the glassworks in the church, who designed them or who did the work.
Pictured above are the ceiling
Unfortunately, the colors in the rose window don't show at all in this picture. According to Monsignor Barbier, the pastor at the time the present building was constructed, the window was modeled after the rose window in Notre Dame de Paris.
And last is St. Valerie's bier, which I always found creepy, as the poor dear seems to be writhing on her bed. When my children were young, the bier stood in one of the side aisles, and they were a bit spooked by it when they had to pass it on the way to a pew. The case holds a relic of St. Valerie. The bier now stands against a wall, a more appropriate position, surely.
Information for the post was taken, in part, from this history of St. Joseph Co-Cathedral
Picture at the head of the post from Yelp. More pictures here.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Florida Squirrel
For all who appreciate the outdoors . . . the rarely photographed South Florida Squirrel.
Doug struck while I was not looking.
" A better future for the Anglican Communion?"
By Savi Hensman
Abstract
Rowan Williams has recently proposed major changes in the way the Anglican Communion is organised. Because of growing willingness in the Episcopal Church (TEC) to recognise the status and ministry of lesbian and gay people, and the global disagreement on this issue, he is putting forward a “two-track” approach. Provinces such as TEC in North America would not be able to carry out certain functions such as representing the Anglican Communion in ecumenical circles, while those which signed up to a Covenant would have a more central position. This research paper describes the background, examines the evidence on which the Archbishop’s main points are based, discusses their implications, and corrects some mistaken assumptions about history and practice. Inter alia it tackles a number of key theological issues. It suggests that a two-level Communion would be practically and spiritually harmful and suggests a different approach, less focused on institutional structures, that could be more effective in addressing divisions and ultimately enabling Anglicans to move towards a deeper unity.
From Ekklesia.
Savi Hensman has written a very impressive, well-reasoned, and well-documented article analyzing Archbishop Rowan Williams' Reflections on the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention. I've had this one on ice for a couple of days, as I attempt to read it, mostly in fits and starts. As it is, I am only half-way through reading the piece, but I thought I'd throw the link out for any of you who'd care to read it. It is long, but well-worth taking the time. I tried to pick out a few quotes, but I believe that I would do an injustice to the author if I used quotes beyond the abstract.
H/T to Thinking Anglicans.
UPDATE: I've finished the article. It is excellent.
Abstract
Rowan Williams has recently proposed major changes in the way the Anglican Communion is organised. Because of growing willingness in the Episcopal Church (TEC) to recognise the status and ministry of lesbian and gay people, and the global disagreement on this issue, he is putting forward a “two-track” approach. Provinces such as TEC in North America would not be able to carry out certain functions such as representing the Anglican Communion in ecumenical circles, while those which signed up to a Covenant would have a more central position. This research paper describes the background, examines the evidence on which the Archbishop’s main points are based, discusses their implications, and corrects some mistaken assumptions about history and practice. Inter alia it tackles a number of key theological issues. It suggests that a two-level Communion would be practically and spiritually harmful and suggests a different approach, less focused on institutional structures, that could be more effective in addressing divisions and ultimately enabling Anglicans to move towards a deeper unity.
Savitri Hensman was born in Sri Lanka. She works in the voluntary sector in community care and equalities in the UK, and she is also a respected writer on Christianity and social justice. An Ekklesia associate, Savi has contributed several chapters to the recent book Fear or Freedom? Why a warring church must change, edited by Simon Barrow (Shoving Leopard / Ekklesia, 2008). She has written and reflected widely on the future of Anglicanism and is herself a member of the Church of England.
From Ekklesia.
Savi Hensman has written a very impressive, well-reasoned, and well-documented article analyzing Archbishop Rowan Williams' Reflections on the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention. I've had this one on ice for a couple of days, as I attempt to read it, mostly in fits and starts. As it is, I am only half-way through reading the piece, but I thought I'd throw the link out for any of you who'd care to read it. It is long, but well-worth taking the time. I tried to pick out a few quotes, but I believe that I would do an injustice to the author if I used quotes beyond the abstract.
H/T to Thinking Anglicans.
UPDATE: I've finished the article. It is excellent.
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